EAST HARTFORD >> The most enduring image from UConn’s inaugural American Athletic Conference game was freshman quarterback Tim Boyle turning towards the home sideline and looking right at UConn head coach T.J. Weist as 9 precious seconds ticked off the clock.

The clock mismanagement, which ended any chance the Huskies had of moving into position for a game-tying field goal attempt, has been well documented since South Florida escaped Rentschler Field with a 13-10 victory. However, the reality is that the game got away from the Huskies much earlier.

Just as they did two weeks earlier in the final non-conference game of the season, UConn dominated play early only to have very little to show for it.

The record will show that UConn outgained Buffalo and South Florida 254-13 in the first quarter only to trail in both games.

On Saturday the Huskies used some inspired running by Lyle McCombs and the best run-blocking quarter of the season by the much-criticized offensive line to outgain the Bulls 139-12. However, victories aren’t granted based on time of possession or amount of real estate covered. A South Florida defensive touchdown and the inability to finish off drives kept the Huskies from taking control of the game where it mattered most — on the scoreboard.

“We have to emphasize doing your job,” Weist said. “We have to convert on third down. We need to get us down in the red zone. We got some three and outs, probably less than we’ve had in the last four games, but still we put the defense back on the field and that is an issue for us. I don’t look up at the scoreboard and say we have ‘x’ amount of rushing yards or ‘x’ amount of offense and say we are doing good. It doesn’t matter. What’s the score, how much are we converting, how much are we scoring, that is what matters. We don’t even look at this stuff, we don’t care, doesn’t matter.”

What does matter is that UConn’s receiving corps’ inability to snare catchable passes prevented the Huskies from being able to turn those yards into touchdowns.

Spencer Parker, Deshon Foxx and John Green each failed to come up with catches that could have either been touchdowns or would have given UConn a 1st and goal situation. At least a half dozen of Boyle’s passes were dropped, and that doesn’t count a handful of other passes when Boyle just missed connecting with an open receiver.

“We felt like it wasn’t our best game,” said junior receiver Geremy Davis, who led the Huskies with six catches and 80 receiving yards. “We have to get back to the film room, see what we did wrong and work on that. We had a lot of dropped passes which was really frustrating. I said that each time we messed up please take 5 minutes in practices to work on it because I don’t want this feeling or as a group, having this type of feeling again.

“It is plays as a receiver we left on the field. I don’t want Tim to take any blame on that. When we go to practice we have to make those plays and stay after and work on those things. As a leader I have to put a lot more emphasis on the whole unit to stay after practice and work on it because I don’t want that game again with that many dropped passes. I wasn’t happy about it. It is a shock. I see guys every day make a play, every day. I am not holding that against them because I know the next game they are going to make those plays.”

It looked like UConn would be at full strength at receiver for the first time all season as Kamal Abrams was back after missing the first four games with a knee injury and Shakim Phillips started after missing the last two games with a hamstring issue. However. Phillips lasted just one series before reporting that his hamstring was feeling tight. Then freshman Brian Lemelle was knocked out of the game with a rib injury.

On a Sunday afternoon conference call, Weist said he thinks Lemelle will be back for Saturday’s game at Cincinnati although he did not receive an update from the medical staff on the condition of cornerback Taylor Mack (shoulder), linebacker Ryan Donohue (concussion) and Phillips.